How To Become A Massage Therapist

From times immemorial, massage therapists have been using their “magic touch” to treat many health and wellness related problems. In the UK, massage became popular in the 1800s after the Swedish remedial massage techniques made their way into the English-speaking world. Over the years, its benefits have become more widely known and recognized by the medical authorities. Owing to this increased popularity, there has been a growing demand for massage therapists not only in the UK but around the world. It is a promising career that offers growth, flexibility and satisfaction.

If you are looking to make a career as a massage therapist, this guide is for you. It offers a quick glance at what massage therapists do, qualities you need to become a massage therapist, how to get certified to become a therapist and finally, what to expect in your career as a massage therapist. Here we go.

What Do Massage Therapists Do?

Massage therapists use a variety of techniques to manipulate the clients’ soft body tissue and muscles. The overall aim is to help them relax, treat sports injuries, provide relief from long-term health conditions, improve circulation, alleviate effects of depression and anxiety and promote overall well-being. Simply speaking, massage therapy is aimed at making people feel better.

There are various types of massage therapies that they employ including shiatsu, Swedish, Indian head massage, Thai massage, aromatherapy, deep tissue, remedial and sports.

Duties of a massage therapist include:

Consulting with clients to determine their problem areas or identifying their reason for seeking massage therapy (relaxation, pain relief, any other)

Checking the client’s diet, lifestyle and medical history

Planning a course of treatment and discussing it with the client

Applying pressure to different areas of the body to ease tension

Administering treatments such as deep tissue massage

Advising clients on making improvements in life and about their general well being

Completing the decided course of treatment

Referring the client to medical professionals if required

Do I Have The Qualities That Make A Good Massage Therapist?

Massage is a very intimate experience and requires a lot of skill, patience and empathy. Here are some qualities that a massage therapist should possess.

Excellent interpersonal skills

Ability to build trust with clients and put them at ease

Manual dexterity and practical skills

Friendly and personable to attract clients

Patience

The ability to show empathy to the clients

Excellent listening and communication skills

Physical fitness

Administrative and commercial skills to run a business efficiently

What Are The Entry Requirements For Becoming A Massage Therapist?

While you do not need a degree to become a massage therapist, but, it will help if you have the following:

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) at grades 9 to 4 in human biology or biology, or a certificate in physiology and anatomy

A certification from one of the professional institutes offering courses in massage therapy

Which Institutes Offer Courses In Massage Therapy?

Some employers prefer their massage therapists to have a specialist training or a certification recognised by the Council for Soft Tissue Therapies. There are several institutes offering courses in massage therapy. Here are some options available for those seeking massage training.

The institute offers courses both basic and advanced level courses. The courses are part-time and held over the weekends, daytime or evenings giving students the flexibility to complete their training at their convenience.

London school of massage is accredited by VTCT, ITEC, CThA, IICT and FHT, so their courses are widely recognized.

The City Literary Institute offers several courses in massage therapy that are held both over the weekdays and weekends. They offer courses for beginners as well as professionals seeking to advance their knowledge. City Lit offers courses in:

It is an ITEC Approved training institute offering massage therapy courses for all levels. They have basic courses for complete beginners and continuing professional development (CPD) courses for those who want to pursue advanced level courses. For complete beginners with no previous experience, Gateway Workshops offers courses in the following:

Baby massage therapy

Chair massage, Seated acupressure

First aid courses for therapists

Hand, feet, arm and leg massage

Hopi ear candling

Indian head massage

Swedish, Holistic, Fully body massage

Thai foot massage

Natural lift facial massage

Aromatherapy

Their fast-track course is for three months. After completion of this foundation course, you can go for any of the specialized courses in pregnancy massage, deep tissue massage, baby massage or other therapies. The institute also offers one-day diploma courses. Even these short courses are insurable, and you can use the therapy professionally after completing these courses.

London College of Massage Is recognised by the BCMA, FHT, APNT and various other associations. After completing the course at London College of Massage and getting certified, you can get indemnity insurance and practice massage therapy anywhere in the UK.

London College of Massage offers three courses: two introductory courses and one advanced level course. To become a certified massage therapist and to be able to practice anywhere in the UK, you need to complete the advanced level course. The duration of the introductory courses is one weekend each, and for the advanced course, it is five weekends.

The practitioner’s diploma course covers the following topics:

Professional Appearance

Hygiene and Preparation

Detailed Contra-Indications

Detailed Case History

Treatment Composition

Massage techniques

Stretches

Effleurage and Petrissage

Friction

Additional Work for Arms, Hands and Front of Legs

Tapotement

Forehead Nerve Compression and Face Shiatsu

London School of Massage offers some online courses as well. All their courses can be booked online.

Bodyology massage courses are accredited by the Massage Training Institute and comply with the General Council for Massage Therapy and National Occupational Standards. They offer a Professional Massage Diploma course for those who want to become a massage therapist. The Diploma course is a nine-month course, spanning eleven weekends. The course covers the following topics:

Anatomy and physiology

Pathology

Massage techniques

Swedish

Holistic

Deep Tissue

Sports/Remedial

Shiatsu

Communication skills

Business skills

They offer a one-day ‘Massage taster day’ course that you can take to experience everything first-hand before you enrol for the professional course. They refund this course fee once you enrol in the professional course.

The training room offers an ITEC Level 3 Qualification in Massage Therapy. It’s a part-time course covering the following topics:

Body Massage

Indian Head Massage

Client Care and Communication in Beauty Related Industries

Massage using Pre-Blended Aromatherapy Oils

Stone Therapy Massage

Health and Safety

Courses are available at different locations and can be booked on their site.

What Salary Or Income Can A Massage Therapist Expect?

Most massage therapists are self-employed, but some others choose to work in a spa or clinic to gain experience and confidence before they can run their own business. For the self-employed massage therapists, the pay will depend on how many clients they attract, the number of hours they work and the amount of money they charge.

Normally, massage therapists charge between £20-£30 an hour, but the more up-market clinics and spas can charge as much as £60-£80 an hour. Massage therapists can earn a decent amount of tips as well.

How Is The Work Environment?

Massage therapists have a relatively stress-free work life. If they are self-employed, they can choose their own working hours. However, they may have to work outside the regular working hours on weekends or evenings depending on the needs of the clients. The work pattern would also depend on whether the massage therapist works from home, a spa, a complementary therapy clinic or a hospital.

While massage can be relaxing for the client, it can be tiring for the therapist because they must stand for long hours and apply pressure constantly. However, working as a massage therapist is a rewarding and satisfying career. It allows you to meet new people every day and work in a therapeutic and calming environment.

How Can A Massage Therapist Progress On This Career Path?

Massage therapists can improve their earning potential or job prospects by learning new massage techniques and becoming more qualified. If you are an expert in Swedish massage, you can move on to sports or deep tissue massage. This way, you will be able to cater to a wider clientele. Once you have gained experience and built up a reputation and client base, you can set up your own business.

If you think you have the passion and qualities it takes to become a good massage therapist, get yourself enrolled in comprehensive training courses and kickstart a rewarding career.

Of соurѕе, like any оthеr buѕinеѕѕ, it iѕ nоt аll rainbows and buttеrfliеѕ, аѕ there аrе two ѕidеѕ fоr еvеrуthing. Although, Massage therapy is a good career choice if you want a job that offers flexibility and job security, but also there are good and bad aspect of working as a mаѕѕаgе therapist.

I was looking for something like this, I’m glad I’ve landed here. Just some additional information I would like to find out. What are the working hours, is it mostly 9 to 5 and what sort of pay I could realistically expect. Thank you for the article.

Massage thеrарiѕtѕ dоn’t usually wоrk a 9 tо 5, Mоndау thrоugh Fridау ѕсhеdulе, although if уоu wоrk in a ѕра or facility, you might work a рrе-dеtеrminеd ѕсhеdulе. In mаnу cases, you can сhооѕе whеn уоu will work and hоw mаnу hоurѕ you will work еасh wееk. Massage therapy саn be a gооd сhоiсе for раrеntѕ, аѕ mаѕѕаgе арроintmеntѕ саn be ѕсhеdulеd whеn thе children аrе in school or in the еvеning whеn another parent оr fаmilу mеmbеr is with the kidѕ, eliminating оr rеduсing thе соѕt of childcare.

I never did consider Massage Therapist as a career before, but now after reading this article, I changed my perspective on it. From this article, I got all the information I need like skills required, requirements, qualities, where to get certification etc. Thanks a lot for sharing this information.

I think that this is a great job. Massage, bу nаturе, iѕ a реасеful, relaxing еxреriеnсе. Whеn you wоrk, you fосuѕ оnlу оn уоur сliеnt, rather thаn ringing рhоnеѕ or a demanding bоѕѕ. In other hеаlth-rеlаtеd jоbѕ, clients might feel tense оr nervous about their upcoming viѕitѕ, whiсh can result in inсrеаѕеd stress fоr staff mеmbеrѕ who muѕt work to allay these fеаrѕ. Your clients will рrоbаblу bе hарру tо ѕее уоu аnd аррrесiаtivе оf thе ѕkillѕ уоu use tо relieve thеir раin and help them rеlаx.

Another thing iѕ the grеаt dеmаnd on CMTѕ thеѕе days, with the grоwing acceptance of massage thеrару in bоth, thе ѕосiаl and the medical community. Thiѕ iѕ whу it can be рrеttу еаѕу to land a great jоb with a grеаt inсоmе juѕt аftеr grаduаting. Yоu саn find jоbѕ at spas, раrlоr аnd hospitals.

Individuals interested in becoming massage therapists must complete formal training, which may be offered as certificate and diploma programs through community colleges and technical schools. A high school diploma or the equivalent is required to enter most training programs. Most massage therapist training programs can be completed in less than one year

Hi, I do agree with most of the comments above, it is a great job indeed, however, there are some negative aspects to consider also when working as a massage therapist. Thе obvious one is thе раin аnd the injuriеѕ thаt a thеrарiѕt саn ѕuffеr frоm. Thiѕ includes ѕuffеring frоm Cаrраl Tunnеl in thеir wrists аѕ well аѕ bасk раin frоm the regular bеnding оvеr tо mаѕѕаgе thе clients. Thiѕ саn be a rеаl рrоblеm, thiѕ is whу at mаѕѕаgе therapy schools, thеу teach ѕtudеntѕ thаt it iѕ еѕѕеntiаl nоt to stress аnd wоrk fоr long реriоdѕ of time, еvеn if уоu feel уоu are capable, bесаuѕе оvеr the соurѕе of timе, it will hаvе a disastrous effect on уоur hаndѕ аnd bасk.

I do also work in this sector the one tip or advice I could give is that it is necessary to go on massage courses in order to be informed and learn about the new trends in the profession. Also, the job requires some knowledge of physiology, anatomy, medicine and many other sciences. For those who are not ready to learn new things, this is undoubtedly a huge minus.

Awesome article. I have been thinking hard about picking up massage therapist as a full-time career but could not really make up my mind. I am Friendly and very personable to attract clients and I have the ability to show empathy to the clients and I am also excellent in listening and communication skills. I guess I am ready now, why not take a course to become more professional.

This is not an easy job, I am talking from the experience here, the massage therapist job consists of primarily physical work. Be prepared for the fact that your hands and fingers will be dumb at the end of the day. If you can not take it, then you should not get into the massage therapy. Plus, this job sometimes consists of the fact that for a decent hourly salary you must work the whole day.

I have been thinking about this job but I don’t really know. The bulk of customers will not look the best. These can be old men and women. An unpleasant moment may be that people of this profession regularly come into contact with the patient’s bare skin, and you can only hope that he has recently showered himself and has no dermatological diseases and so on. Yes, I guess the pay can be good but…

The massage therapist will always be in demand, as recently more and more people take care of their health and visit all kinds of spa and fitness centres. It does not matter, which type of massage the therapists specialized, they’ll always have clients, and since massage is a very expensive pleasure, the salary is very good.

Well, particularly I do consider it a difficult job, since massage therapy is linked to health, and this can not be taken lightly, you must put a lot of effort in it and study a lot to be good at it. It is a lot of responsibility.

Thanks for the detailed article. It was a great read. The popularity of massage, as a painless method of treatment, is growing day by day. As a result, today we can find massage centres almost at every corner which offer various types of massage. And if you know that in almost every medical institution, sanatorium, fitness club or recovery centres there are also massage sessions, then the main advantage of the profession is its popularity.

Throughout its existence, the art of massage has been constantly improved and developed. Today, there are so many techniques and types of massage that no one, even the most talented massage therapist, is able to thoroughly study each of them and apply all of them in practice.

For me, a massage therapist is a difficult job and I admire all massage therapist all over the world. You cannot pursue in this field if you don’t have a passion for massage therapy. It has a great earning potential nowadays but it requires your physical and mental effort to learn and to render services.

Well, money runs the world and massage therapist should know to value their knowledge and gift. Client Care and Communication in Beauty Related Industries are getting bigger and bigger by the day and I am not wondering why. Good review I enjoyed reading.

I think that this is a great job. Massage, bу nаturе, iѕ a реасеful, relaxing еxреriеnсе. Whеn you wоrk, you fосuѕ оnlу оn уоur сliеnt, rather thаn ringing рhоnеѕ or a demanding bоѕѕ. In other hеаlth-rеlаtеd jоbѕ, clients might feel tense оr nervous about their upcoming viѕitѕ, whiсh can result in inсrеаѕеd stress fоr staff mеmbеrѕ who muѕt work to allay these fеаrѕ. Your clients will рrоbаblу bе hарру tо ѕее уоu аnd аррrесiаtivе оf thе ѕkillѕ уоu use tо relieve thеir раin and help them rеlаx.